Power transmission coupling



g v RONNIING 2,448,278

POWER TRANSMISSION COUPLING I ma Sept. 21. 1944 6 LP a c E A- H J g'wmMam Rommel -tion of a universal joint by pling Patented Aug. 31, 1948'Martin Ronninr, St.

to Minneapolis-Molina pany-, Minneapolis, Minn.,

' Delaware POWER TRANSMISSION COUPLING Louis Park. Minni, aasignor vPower Implement Coma corporation of Application September 21, 1 9,Serial No. 555,080 '4 Claims. (Cl. 287-52) This invention relatesgenerally to power transmission couplings and more particularly to thattype of mechanism for this purpose wherein a coupling sleeve or tubularmember is releasably and non-rotatably engaged with a power shaft.

As one example of such coupling '1. disclose herein a tractor power takeoff shaft, and a porwhich connection is made to the shaft for drivingvarious implements. As conventionally used the shaft is splined and thecoupling sleeve is secured thereon by a bolt passing diametricallythrough the sleeve and Referring now more particularly and by referencecharacters to the drawings. A represents generally a shaft which may bethe power take of! shaft of a tractor and which. as shown, isconventionally splined to provide the feathers or keys B. Associatedwith the shaft is a coupling member C which may be a part of a universaljoint D, and which includes a sleeve portion E having a recess Fprovided with longitudishaft. Safety requirements dictate that aconnection of this kind be protected by a guard, and it is found thatthe average tractor user, after once removing the guard as is necessaryin order to remove the bolt, will then frequently leave the guard off ofthe machine. The coupling is then exposed and sometimes causes injury tothe user.

It is the primary object of my invention, therefore, to provide alocking means by which a cousleeve of this or similar nature may besecured to the shaft and positively locked against endwise displacement,and which locking means may be manually operated to disconnect thecoupling without interference from any surrounding guard. It is thuspossible for the user to attach the coupling to the shaft or disconnectit therefrom without removing the guard.

Another object is to provide locking means of this nature which issimple and positive and in which the locking engagement with the shaftis caused to be under constant spring pressure when in use to therebyprevent any possibility of disengagement.

Still another object is to provide locking means which may be applied toa tractor power take off shaft without any alteration thereofwhatsoever.

With these and other objects in view the invention resides in the novelconstruction and arrangement of parts as hereinafter set forth andclaimed, reference being had to the accompanying drawings wherein:

Fig. 1 is a side elevation of a shaft and coupling embodying myinvention, the coupling being shown as in process of mounting on theshaft.

Fig. 2 is an enlarged cross section along the line 2-2 in Fig. 1, andshowing the coupling locked on the shaft by the locking means of myinvention. v

Fig. 3 is a 'view similar to Fig. 2 but showing the locking means itselfin the position to which it is moved by hand to release the couplingfrom the shaft, and with the shaft omitted.

nal grooves G to non-rotatably receive the splined shaft.

Ordinarily the coupling C is secured against axial displacement on theshaft A by means of a bolt (not shown) inserted diametrically throughappropriate holes in the sleeve and shaft. The hole for this bolt H. Asstated heretofore, mechanisms of this nature are usually enclosed byaguard which is not here shown, but which the coupling that its removalis necessary in order to reach the bolt with a tool, and to withdraw itfrom the couplin when the same isto. be disconnected.

To avoid this and the necessity for removing the guard, I provide thelocking means now to be described. To accommodate such means thecoupling sleeve portion E is provided with a bore iii which extendstherethrough transversely from side to side and which intersects therecess F, or more particularly, one of the grooves G therein, as bestseen in Figure 2. The bore Iii is thus substantially tangent to thecircular recess, and at one end the bore is counterbored to the largerdiameter as indicated at Ii, forming an annular shoulder i2. Mounted inthe bore is a locking member or pin designated generally at I! and whichhas its major portion of a diameter such as to nicely engage the bore.At one end the pin is provided with a stop collar l4 secured thereto bya diametrically extending pin. l5 and 2, limits endwise rnovementof thepin l3 in one direction. The opposite end of the pin is diametricallyenlarged to form a head i6 which may nicely enter the counterbore i l.Braced between this head II and the aforesaid shoulder I2 is anexpansion coil spring II which. loosely surrounds the pin and which, aswill be obvious, normally urges the pin to the left as viewed in thedrawing, until such movement is halted bythe stop means ll.

Intermediate its ends the pin i3 has a diametrically reduced portion orneck i8, and adjacent thereto the pin is tapered or beveled as indicatedat l9. In the normal position of the pin as urged by the spring 'il,this tapered portion II in the shaft A is indicated at so closelysurrounds of the pin spans that portion of the bore l which intersectsthe groove G. However. by

pushing with the thumb upon the head i! the pin mayibe urged endwise sothat the reduced portion 1 8 substantially clears the groove G as seenin Figure (3. It is in the latter position of the pin that thecouplingmay be slipped on to the shaft A as will be-clearly evident.

The shaft A is conventionally provided with a series of arcuate recesses30 in the spline keys B, and with the pin held under thumb pressure inthe position of Figure 3, the coupling may be moved onto the shaft Auntil the pin I 3 comes in alignment with any one of the recesses 20.when the pressure is then released, the spring I! will move the pinendwise in the bore is until the tapered portion 69 engages one of therecesses 29, whereupon the coupling is securely locked against axialdisplacement with respect tc'the shaft. It will be apparent, however,that this locking engagement may be readily disengaged by hand by simplymoving the pin in the opposite direction and that the coupling may thenbe removed. Attention is called to the fact that when the pin it is inengagement with the recess 20 of. the shaft A the stop means l8 standsin spaced relation to the adjacent side of the coupling, as clearlyshown in Figure 2. Thus the pin is under constant spring pressure suchthat the tapered portion 89 oi the pin has a persistent wedgingengagement with the recess 20. Thus not only is the connection firmlyheld, but wear is compensated for to increase the useful life of thelocking means.

It is understood that suitable modifications may be made in thestructure as disclosed, provided such modifications come within thespirit and scope of the appended claims. Having now therefore fullyillustrated and described my invention, what I claim to be new anddesire to protect by Letters Patent is:

l. The combination with a coupling having a recess adapted tonon-rotatably receive a shaft,

of means for locking the coupling and shaft against relative axialdisplacement, comprising a locking pin mounted for endwise movementcrosswise in the coupling in a plane intersecting one side of the recessin the coupling, said pin having a reduced portion movable into registrywith the recess to permit the insertion of the shaft thereinto, said pinalso having a locking portion adjacent said reduced portion adapted tonormally traverse the recess in the coupling, and

said shaft having a recess in at least one side adapted for engagementby said locking portion of the pin and the said locking portion of thepin being beveled for wedgewise engagement with said recess in theshaft, and the pin being spring set to urge said beveled portion of thepin tightly into and against said shaft recess.

2. Locking means for a coupling having a recess to non-rotatably andtelescopically receive a shaft, comprising a locking pin, said couplinghaving a bore extending crosswise with respect to the shaft recess andintersecting the same in substantially tangent relation thereto, thesaid pin being mounted in the bore for endwise movement therein andhaving stop means at one end for limiting such movement in onedirection, a springoperatively arranged to urge the pin endwise untilhalted by the stop means, the other end of the pin being exposed formanual operation to urge the pin endwise against the spring, the saidshaft having a recess in one side, and the pin having a tapered portionadapted to engage the said recess in the shaft to lock the couplingagainst endwise movement -0n,the shaft.

3. Locking means for a coupling having a recess to non-rotatably andtelescopically receive .a shaft, comprising a locking pin, said couplinghaving a bore extending crosswise with respect to the shaft recess andintersecting the same in substantially tangent relation thereto, thesaid pin being mounted in the bore for endwise movement therein andhaving stop means at one end for limiting. such movement in onedirection, a spring operatively arranged to urge the pin endwise untilhalted by the stop means, the other end of the pin being exposed formanual operation to urge the pin endwise against the spring, the saidshaft having a recess in one side, the said pin having a tapered portionto engage the recess in the shaft, and said stop means being so locatedand arranged that the endwise movement of the pin by the springwhen thecoupling is on the shaft is halted by the wedging engagement of the saidtapered portion of the pin with the shaft recess to provide a constantspring tension in such engagement. I 4. A rotary drive couplingcomprising, an inner member, an outer member having an aperture adaptedto slidably receive the inner member,

said members being splined to prevent relative rotation, a locking pinslidably mounted in the outer member in a position to tangentiallyintersect said aperture, said pin having a reduced portion which, whenthe pin is in a predetermined longitudinal position, will permitrelative axial movement of the inner and outer members, said innermember having a lateral recess adapted to be engaged by the pin, whenthe latter is in another longitudinal position, to lock the inner memberagainst axial movement with respect to the outer member, and a springyieldably holding the pin in its locking position, the said pin having abeveled part for wedging engagement with the splined part of the innermember under the action of said spring to rigidly lock the inner andouter members with respect to each other.

MARTIN RONNING REFERENCES CITED The following references are of recordin the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 302,519 Parsons July 22, 1884608,448 Gauthier Aug. 2, 1898 1,404,260 Arnold Jan. 24, 1922 1,496,630Hendrickson June 3, 1924 1,833,236 Smith Nov. 24, 1931 1,990,990 HathomFeb. 12, 1935 2,278,698 Green Apr. 7, 1942

